Pope Leo to undergo surgery to remove lung nodule in Rome

BREAKING: Pope Leo XIV will undergo surgery in Rome to remove a lung nodule, with the Vatican expecting a one-week hospital recovery for the 71-year-old ahead of a scheduled Latin America tour.

Pope Leo is going into hospital for lung surgery tomorrow morning.

The Vatican confirmed it today. The 71-year-old will enter Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday to have a nodule removed from his left lung, and doctors expect him to stay about a week. He told the crowd himself on Sunday, during his blessing in St Peter's Square, you can see him there at the window of the Apostolic Palace. He said the nodule was found in a routine checkup, that it's well contained, and that it was caught early.

What the Vatican did not say is whether it's malignant. All papal audiences are cancelled until October 20, and the timing is awkward, because Leo has a Latin America tour booked for November 6, with stops in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. He insists he's still going.

This is a pope with no history of serious illness, a man who swims and plays tennis. Three weeks from the operating table to an international tour. That's the test.

This is Sara White, reporting for HIT.